The Building Tradesman Newspaper

Friday, October 05, 2018

By Marty Mulcahy, Editor

STANDISH - Next year, if your arm gets tired after an evening of pushing slot machine buttons at the Saganing Eagles Landing Casino, a bed to stay the night will only be a short walk away.

Construction manager Spence Brothers, their subcontractors and building trades union workers are in the process of building a new five-story hotel with 148 guest rooms on the western side of the casino, which has been open on Worth Rd. since Dec. 31, 2007. The addition, which will be connected to the existing casino, will include a full service restaurant and an expansion of the casino.

"We're right on schedule and we have a real good crew doing good, quality work," said Tom Geesey, project superintendent for Spence Brothers, told us in late August. He said about 80 tradespeople employed on the job at the time would jump to nearly 150 over the winter. He said the hotel should be turned over to the owner in May or June of next year and is slated to open in August 2019.

Erected on a former parking lot and retention pond at the casino site, the hotel "has had the typical construction issues, but nothing we haven't experienced before," Geesey said.

The owner, the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe, said the hotel will feature multiple room types with an all-purpose suite on the top floor of the hotel. Connected to the existing casino, the hotel entrance will provide a direct view into a new casino gaming floor expansion with access to the new Bayside Restaurant and Bayside Lounge. The project will also provide additional square footage for retail space, and additional gaming space for up to 400 additional slot machines.

The tribe said other project components include construction of a 7.0 megawatt electrical substation supporting the complex that connects with high voltage transmission lines, utility corridors to various buildings located at Saganing, as well as a new parking lot directly south of the existing casino.

“This expansion further solidifies our presence in our aboriginal territory and shows our commitment to the community and economic growth for the region," said then-Saganing Eagles Chief Frank Cloutier at the hotel's groundbreaking last year. "I am very proud of our abilities and our staff for all that they do to make the Saganing Eagles Landing one of the most preferred places to visit. Chi Miigwetch ("thank you") to all of our patrons for your visits and soon to be your play and stay experience. There are so many possibilities for a brighter future and with continued collaboration we will look forward to enjoying them together."

Nearly one million people visit the casino every year. The expansion will create 200 new jobs.

THE SAGANING EAGLES LANDING CASINO hotel in Standish is being erected by Spence Brothers, their subcontractors, and the building trades on the west side of the casino.

THINGS ARE LOOKING up for Bill Buddle of Plumbers and Steamfitters Local 85, working at the new Saganing Eagles Casino hotel in Standish. He’s employed by William E. Walters.